Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher turned into a Battle of the Bills when Maher and conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly got into a sparring match, trading barbs over which television personality was more popular.
O’Reilly was attempting to summarize what he believes Maher’s views are on the state of the modern Democratic party, which he described as being “disenchanted” that the party is too focused on fringe “garbage” and “diluting” what has traditionally been its own message. “I wouldn’t put it that way,” Maher interjected, “but go ahead.”
Bill Maher hosts “Real Time With Bill Maher” on Nov. 7, 2025. HBO/HBO
When O’Reilly suggested that Maher might want to borrow his phrasing, “because that’s a good way to put it,” Maher shot back: “Well, I’m still on the air and you’re not, but go ahead.”
O’Reilly had the highest-rated cable news show for 16 of the 21 years he spent at Fox News, until his The O’Reilly Factor ended in 2017 after a damning New York Times report uncovered details of five sexual misconduct lawsuits the “No Spin” host had settled.
The audience responded with shock, laughter and applause, as O’Reilly’s fellow guest, Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, awkwardly took a sip of his drink. O’Reilly quickly told the audience, “I expected that,” before launching into an anecdote about a town hall he hosted on NewsNation two weeks ago that brought in 23 million viewers.
“You can add up all the HBOs you want, you’re not going to come close. Just want to correct the record,” O’Reilly told Maher. Moskowitz then offered use of his tape measure if either of the men wanted, while O’Reilly told him to “Let Maher and I go at it—the people love this.”
According to a NewsNation press release, the town hall, which O’Reilly co-hosted with Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. Smith, brought in 788,000 viewers; the 23 million figure comes from the number of times highlights from the event were viewed online.
Maher then joked that he and O’Reilly were “actually cousins,” a reference to an episode of Finding Your Roots where the pair discovered they were distantly related.
“I’m at a family gathering?!” Moskowitz quipped, before the conversation finally returned to the subject of the Democratic party. The two Bills eventually came to agree that “both parties have just gone completely away from why they were founded,” in O’Reilly’s words.
“Yes, both,” Maher concurred. “You’re right.”
